Jessa's POV
I was here. I'd left New Orleans and all the things that happened for the past nine years behind.
It doesn't mean they won't haunt you still....
Ignoring my subconscious, I got up and stretched my cramped muscles. Seats in second class aren't very comfortable. I sat next to a woman with twins.

Worst decision ever. They whined and cried during the entire flight until one of them vomitted on me and I had to go and change my shirt in the washroom.

It reminded me of when I was younger. My twin and I were exact carbon copies the only difference is, she was born blind and I was not.

Jessa and Jenna, we were known around the whole city. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if she'd been able to see.

Oh, she would've loved the world, the colours. She said she'd always wanted to see the sunrise while sitting on top of a mountain.

She'd had faith that one she'd see...but that never happened. Shaking myself out of my reverie and noticing that the plane was empty, I walked out. It was the first of March. Spring! Not that I cared but I remember LA used to be beautiful all year round.

The sun was shining as I walked out of the airport, the streets were busy, cars zooming by, blowing air which ruffled my tangled up hair.

The sir smelled sweet, like a new day, full of new opportunities. I grabbed my bag at the baggage area and after checking to make sure I hadn't been robbed, out of habit of course, I walked out.

The azure blue skies looking so bright that my life paled in comparison, birds cawing above my head. Flowers blooming all around.

It looked better now than when I was watching through a glass. I wasn't sure what to do or where to go. It'd been nine years and I wasn't as ready as I hoped I would be or was.

I'd been hopeless all my life, just stumbling through, never knowing what to expect or what I'd do next. I stood by the roadside, a backpack on my back, my phone in my pocket and a new LA to explore.

So many things had changed. Instead of the little shops and uncompleted buildings, I was seeing skyscrapers, posh mansions and flashy cars.

LA was a bit like New Orleans, mysterious and beautiful. I couldn't even remember the streets, streets I used to know like the back of my hand. Where there used to be sand and litter all over the place, I saw paved roads and sidewalks, beautiful bushes and trees. The whole place was clean.

LA in my youth used to be covered in filth, a barely developed city, but it'd changed. Like me! Nothing in life was permanent.

Yesterday I was fucked against a wall and today I was in a new city being forced to face my past. I couldn't bare to see my mother's face after I'd abandoned her when she needed me the most.

I walked along the streets absent mindedly, letting my thoughts carry me away from the real world..even if it was completely stupid. I mean I could be robbed or something....
I'm a coward.

Nine years ago I thought running away because I couldn't face the consequences of my actions was the right thing. I was wrong...so wrong. I should've stayed...I should've. But I ran instead, like a dog with its tail tucked in between it's legs ..and now I had got nowhere to go.

This sounds like a cliche book: the homeless girl in a new city with a different story to tell. I wonder if that's what I looked like right now. I could see people staring.

I didn't look like I belonged here. I was different, a new face, a new story. I bought a map at a local store and tried to find a motel to stay in for the night.

The map was to try and make me look like a normal tourist, to blend in. Drey and his boss could be looking for me and they've got eyes everywhere.

The slightest attention I get, they'll find me and I'll die. I do deserve to die for some of the horrible things I've done but I can't afford to do so.

Not after Hailey sacrificed herself so that I could live and do the right thing. The thought of Hailey has my hands trembling...her could soulless eyes empty of life ..her blood on my hands...the pain in her eyes before her last breath..

I never even knew her. Sure, she pushed me away but I should've tried. I should've...

Her family... they'll never see their daughter and they won't know how she died, they won't get to know of her bravery. Following the directions of the map that was probably turned upside down, I took a left turn leading me to a much quieter street.

The only people around were a little girl and her dog and an old woman walking with...her daughter I think. For some absurd reason, something about the old woman felt familiar. She was about 5'5 with long black hair with stripes of grey intertwining the locks.

Her green eyes sparkled with joy as she talked to the middle aged looking woman beside her. Her face had wrinkles but she was beautiful. She wore a yellow dress and some black shoes...I could see traces of a necklace around her neck. As old and as tired as she seemed, she looked happy.

She waved her hands around as she made gestures and talked animatedly to her partner. I knew this woman...she was a part of my past but she had aged making it difficult for me to remember.

She felt familiar... reminded me of home. Her companion said something and she burst out laughing.

My heart leapt to my throat...that laugh...I would recognize it anywhere. Then at that moment it all hit me. I tried to run away, fear and tension descending on me like a plague.

Turn away!!! But I couldn't. Tears welled up in my eyes as she laughed, her eyes becoming smaller as crinkles appeared at the corners.

Her blindingly white teeth showing as her whole face gleamed. A tear fell and roles some in my cheek. My whole body was tense as so many emotions took control. "Mama.." I whispered to myself. The woman that gave me life...I couldn't even recognize her. Had it really been that long?

Then as if in a dream or a movie, she turned to look at me. Her eyes widened as her smile disappeared.

Placing her hands on her chest, she gasped audibly. "J-... Jessa? Is it really you? Am I going mad?" She asked, her eyes turning a pale red as tears filled her eyes, color draining from her face.

Before anyone could say a word, mama closed her eyes and dropped to the ground, her companion dashing to catch her head in the nick of time.

The little girl fell to the floor as her dog pushed away and ran to my mother. I froze in sheer terror. What had I done?

Nurse Millie said she had a weak heart. What the fuck is wrong with me? What if she's..No! No! I should've just walked away rather than overwhelming her.

"Jessa! Get over here and help me! This is your fault anyways! Least you can do is help!" She yelled at me in a thick British accent.

Nurse Millie! Of course! I dropped the map and ran across the road to where my aged mother lay unconscious. " W- What do we do? I- I d- don't know what to do!" I yelled panicking as I angrily wiped at the tears of frustration that would t stop flowing.

Nurse Millie brought out her phone and sent a text. "Calm down! Help is on the way." She said. I stared at my mother as the nurse fussed over her. That should be me. As her daughter I should be the one fussing over her instead of standing beside her not even knowing what to do.

I should've been the one walking with her, cherishing every moment with her. I should've have been the one listening to her laugh. The one to tease her about her first grey hair, the one to set her up on blind dates with sexy old men.

I threw it all away. Why did I leave? The reason puzzled me now. Nine years ago I thought I was so sure of what i wanted.

I let the pain, guilt and regret cloud my judgement. I didn't need to get out. I needed my home, a place to take my burdens of my shoulder. Home was where my mother was. But I left.

I broke our already fragile home, like a piece of glass shattering into a million pieces. I dropped to my knees, pain splattered teardrops on my shirt.

I thought I knew pain but this was more than anything i'd ever felt. It was so suffocating, like a cloud of darkness. I burst into tears as I grabbed her soft tender hands into mine, scared to damage her.

I mourned what could've been. I didn't care that people were watching me. I was still me, broken but me. That little child begging for her mother. I was just a kid who'd missed her mom. "Jessa, you're causing a scene. I know this is hard but try to control-"

The sound of a car approaching at high speed interrupted her as everyone, including the inquisitive passerbys of LA turned to look at the car. A shiny black Ashton Martin stopped right behind me blowing dust and wind in my direction.

I got up wiping my face as people gathered round the car trying to get a peek of who was behind the tinted windows.

The driver's side door opened and a huge man walked out he had to be about 6'3 and was as built as a wall. "There's nothing to see here, move along! Don't you have better things to do?" He yelled.

The people scattered like he was the plague. He turned around and my heart froze when my eyes met his sea blue ones. "Alec?"

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Hi peeps.
Sorry about the late updates. I think I'm slightly depressed. 😭I miss a certain special someone so much and it's messing with me.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please vote, comment and share.

-Daisy.